Woman revealed she went on 'dream holiday' after lottery win

Elaine Cusick, 69, and her husband Eddie, 61, from Old Kilpatrick in West Dunbartonshire posed with her winnings in front of the Sydney Opera House.

The couple booked the two-week holiday after landing a £66,666 win with the People's Postcode Lottery last year.

On top of booking a trip away, the kind-hearted woman also handed out cash to her beloved family members.

Elaine said: “It was one of Eddie’s dreams to be in Sydney for the fireworks at New Year. 

“We were planning to go at Christmas this year, but when we got the cheque just before last Christmas we said ‘Right let’s do it’. 

“We had a great vantage point. My cousin took us to a special place and we got some fantastic photos. It was amazing, they had drones and all sorts.” 

She added: “I don’t think we’ll ever see it again, to be honest. That was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Eddie really loved it.” 

Eddie, who is a community centre manager, used part of the cash to book the trip online.

The couple then made the 30-hour trip from Glasgow to London, then onto Amsterdam and China before touching down in Sydney.

Elaine added: “We wanted to take the cheque with us. When we were taking pictures we could see people looking at us and going ‘What’s all that about?’” 

The mum-of-two - nicknamed 'Mrs Christmas' because of her love for the festive season - shared the £1m jackpot with 14 neighbours in Old Kilpatrick after G60 5NN landed Postcode Lottery's weekly Millionaire Street Prize in November 2023.

The caring woman shared her winnings giving each of her daughters £10,000.

Meanwhile, Elaine also gave her three grandchildren £5,000.

The retired nursery nurse added: “This is something we would never be able to do again.

"I’ll be keeping on playing. It only costs £12 a month. That would only pay for three coffees. To think it is helping charities is just amazing. 

“Even though I’ve won, I won’t stop doing it – because of the charities.

“I never ever expected to win. I was totally shocked.

"Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would have won that amount of money. I can actually feel myself getting tearful again. It was just amazing.

“I’m hoping to buy myself a car in the not-too-distant future. The main thing has been to support the kids.” 

At the time of her win, husband Eddie said: “This couldn’t have happened to a nicer person than Elaine. She is always making sure that everyone in the family is taken care of.”